1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of pay computer-controlled games, either games of skills or games of chance, and more particularly to the field of cashless payment.
2. Copyright Notice/Permission
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. The following notice applies to the software and data as described below and in the drawings hereto: Copyright 2004, Cyberscan Technology Inc., All Rights Reserved.
3. Description of the Related Art
Cashless solutions such as ticket-in and ticket out (TITO) as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,048,269, such as player account cashless as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,280,328, and such as smartcard cashless as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,577,733 each require a physical instrument (anonymous bar-coded printed ticket in the first case, a magnetic player card in the second case and an electronic wallet smartcard in the third case). In the first case (TITO), there is a requirement to fit a ticket reader as well as a ticket printer in each gaming terminal to print a ticket when the player presses the cash-out button. The printed ticket then must be presented to the cashier for cash redemption. Alternatively, the printed ticket may be inserted in another gaming terminal via a ticket reader to continue playing. Ticket printers and ticket readers, however, are complex and expensive devices that require immediate attention from trained technical staff in the case of paper jams or a malfunction. Moreover, accessing the inside of a gaming terminal requires following a strict security procedure that requires the use of special security keys and the maintenance of detailed paper logs. The requirement to have trained and trusted technical staff available permanently on site is not cost effective when considering small remote gaming facilities in island holiday resorts, cruise ships or on-board international flights.